Dev BPO Facebook

When it comes to digital advertising, small business owners (SMBs)
must wade through a lot of industry jargon. Today, they have to make
sense of words like SoLoMo, and tomorrow, they’ll be evaluating marketing options with terms such as InstaLikes.
The good news is that if SMBs can look beyond these buzzwords, there
are a number of DIY digital advertising options that can help them get
new customers and grow their businesses in the burgeoning mobile space.
In fact, there are several self-serve ad platforms like Twitter that work with advertisers of all sizes. What’s common among these solutions is that they make it easy for SMBs to go mobile.

Going mobile makes sense now more than ever. According to a recent
Borrell Associates Inc. survey, 48% of SMBs said they are “somewhat
likely” or “very likely” to incorporate mobile into their advertising
spending this year. Yet, navigating the self-service market can be
tricky. Here are five tips on what to consider as you make that
decision.

1. Go Local

Mobile advertising has opened up a unique opportunity for SMBs. It allows them to target by geo-location
and reach people as they’re looking at what’s around them. Even better,
advertisers can target customers by zip code, which is particularly
useful considering that most purchases are made in the immediate
vicinity of one’s home or office. So, when evaluating advertising
options, small businesses should choose solutions that allow them to
target customers by a location size that is most relevant to their
business.

2. Think Beyond the Click

In the online world, Google AdWords
has proven to be wildly successful for advertisers. Google launched
AdWords so that businesses could pay only for clicks and also create,
manage, and optimize campaigns themselves. While there’s no reason the
mobile ad industry can’t have its own AdWords, it’s important to note
that clicks don’t necessarily work in a mobile world.
A recent Harris Interactive survey proved nearly half of mobile users
clicked on a mobile ad by mistake, meaning nearly half of mobile
advertising dollars are wasted. In other words, when advertising on
mobile, SMBs should be wary of solutions that charge on a cost-per-click
basis.

3. Advertise in Mobile Apps

According to Flurry data
published earlier this year, time spent on mobile apps is growing, with
people spending more than an hour and half per day using them.
Meanwhile, they’re spending less time on the mobile web. This data shows
that people are becoming more and more engaged with apps. Couple that
with a projection by IDC that more than 76.9 billion apps will be downloaded by 2014, and the message is simple: when thinking mobile advertising, think mobile apps.

4. Engage People with Relevant Deals

According to another Harris Interactive survey, almost two-thirds
of mobile app users prefer mobile ads that contain coupons, deals, or
newsletters over commercial and video ads. So SMBs should try
performance-branding solutions that engage people with deals and
coupons. For the most impact, ads should also include a strong call to
action and stress exclusivity.

5. Integrate Across Various Online Platforms

People use mobile devices to interact with apps, read their emails, and
engage with social media sites. This means SMBs should find one tool to
engage people and follow-up with activities, such as email marketing,
which can help drive in-store purchases, promote online sales, and
increase their social footprint.